Ural » 43223 / Range "The Land"
By the mid-1970s over 10 thousand of German made Magirus-Deutz trucks with air-cooled engines worked on the construction of the Baikal-Amur Railroad (BAM). These engines were well proven in the eastern regions of the USSR and operated smoothly in extreme temperature conditions. Thats why in 1982 Russian government bought a license on the diesel engine F8L413 V8 (11,3 liter, 232 hp), and later formed a joint venture to build it in USSR.
In 1986 - 1987, first prototypes of the new Ural-744.10 V8 air-cooled engines were built rated at 234 hp. In 1987 Ural introduced a new long wheelbase 6-ton multipurpose truck Ural-43223 with a wheelbase of 1400 + 3800 mm, which became future development of "The Land" range. The first prototypes had a narrowed welded grille, but serial vehicles received a stamped new grille. Ural-43223 featured a high air intake pipe on the left side of the cabin. The driver's cabin was equipped with an auxiliary heater and adjustable driver's seat. The trucks had an all-metal 4.7-meter flatbed with a flat floor, as well as an upgraded 8-ton winch. Maximum speed on a highway was 93 kph. Average fuel consumption was 34 liters per 100 kilometers. The new range included also a long-wheelbase 5.5-tonne chassis Ural 43222 for mounting of standard closed bodies K-4322, Ural 43225 for army bodies K2.4320 bodies, as well as civil tippers 55223 and 55224 with a carrying capacity of 7.2 10 tonnes.
In 1990, small-scale production of the new engines finally started, and in June 1992, Ural Automobile Plant began production of Ural-43223 with a KAMAZ-740 and Ural-744 engines. The same year, a joint venture with "Deutz" company was disbanded. Only 405 engines were made, so number of Ural-43223 trucks was slightly less.
